The Broadcasting Authority

Broadcasting Authority's Members

Martin Micallef, M.A. - Chairman of the Broadcasting Authority

Mr Martin Micallef has a radio and television career spanning over a period of 40 years. He has occupied different positions from Line Reporter, Current affairs Coordinator, Deputy Manager – News, Deputy Head of TV Programmes, and Director International Affairs at the public nation tv station. He has also spent a number of years on the editorial board and as producer of the international tv production Mediterraneo in collaboration with RAI-Italy and France 3. He was the first Malta National Co-ordinator for CIRCOM Regional, the European Association of Regional Television and was the PBS representative on the action committee for the setting up of a EUROMED Satellite TV network supported by RAI, France 2, Mediaset, and other euromediterranean tv stations. Furthermore, he organised Radio Euromed in collaboration with RAI International with programmes broadcast from Malta and other Mediterranean cities.

He has also served as Secretary General of the Maltese Italian Chamber of Commerce and currently he is responsible for the International Affairs and Communications Unit of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. He also serves on the Press Ethics Commission.

He spends his free time on a voluntary basis as President of the Società Dante Alighieri and is the local coordinator of the international official Certification in the Italian Language and Culture endorsed by the Italian Foreign Ministry, the Italian Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour and La Sapienza University. In this capacity he is also a tutor for Italian University Erasmus students.

Mr Micallef holds an MA in Mass Communications.

Dr Alessandro Lia, LL.D. – Member

Francis Ghirxi – Member

Dr Peter Fenech, LL.D. M.A. (Sussex) – Member

Dr. Peter Fenech read law at the University of Malta and graduated as a lawyer in 1993. In 1994, he obtained a M.A. in European Studies from the University of Sussex. Dr. Fenech has been a practising lawyer before the Maltese law Courts since 1994. He was a visiting lecturer at the EDRC lecturing on EU safeguards for Human Rights and is now lecturing corporate and business law to ACCA students. He served as Chairman of the Mediterranean Conference Centre and of the Manoel Theatre and was President of the Pharmacy Council. For the period 2007-2010, he served as Vice-President of the Malta Football Association. In 2006, he was nominated Chairman of Melita Unipol Insurance Brokers. He has also served as legal advisor to a number of government agencies including the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni b’Dizabilità, National Commission for the Promotion of Equality and the Employment and Training Centre. Dr. Fenech has been a member of the Broadcasting Authority since 2011.

Mr Charlo Bonnici, B.A., Dip. Ger, M.A. (Leicester) - Member

Mr Charlo Bonnici obtained a Masters degrees in Communications from the University of Leicester in 2007. His involvement in broadcasting and journalism spans over 30 years having produced, coordinated and presented radio and television programmes on various local stations. He was the first Head of News at Net TV in 1998. He was also executive producer of a number of editions of the Malta Song for Europe as well as of special broadcasts such as those related to the National Children’s Day, Premju Ħaddiem tas-Sena and Premju Anzjan tas-Sena. He served as chairman of the Malta Song for Europe committee between 1999 and 2003. Mr Bonnici is currently the Director responsible for HR and communications of a leading group of companies in Malta. He served as a Member of Parliament between 2008 and 2017 and as Deputy Mayor of Attard between 2007 and 2008.

In 1998 Ms Joanna Spiteri was conferred a BA (Hons) degree in Communication Studies by the University of Malta with her main dissertation focusing on the changes in Maltese print journalism since the eighties. After obtaining her first degree, she worked as a journalist at Public Broadcasting Services Ltd. newsroom producing local and foreign features for television and radio. She also covered Parliamentary sittings. During the two years at PBS Ltd. she presented and produced current affairs programmes on TVM and Radju Malta, two of which had won the Broadcasting Authority’s Programme Awards. She produced and presented a series of programmes on Channel 12 focusing on the work done by voluntary organisations and adult learning. In 1999 she joined the Broadcasting Authority as a Supervisor in the Programme Monitoring Department. During the tenure of this post, she read for a Master’s Degree in Arts at the University of Malta focusing her research on the portrayal of gender issues in news bulletins. Her interest in gender issues led the Authority to appoint her as a Chairperson of the Broadcasting Authority’s Equality Committee in order to liaise gender issues at her workplace with the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality. In 2004 she drafted the Broadcasting Authority Guidelines on Gender Equality and Gender Portrayal in the Media. She was involved in a number of projects with regard to gender and the media including the co-ordination of an EU project known as “Portraying Politics: a Toolkit on Gender and Television” and co-ordinating the staff at the Broadcasting Authority to assist the National Co-ordinator, Dr Brenda Murphy, in the Global Media Monitoring Project. In 2001 she attended a workshop within the news department at the Irish Public Broadcasting Service, RTÉ. This work is the result of her research on news and gender issues.

She followed her studies by reading for a Ph.D. with the University of Stirling in Scotland where she studied news impartiality in the Maltese TV broadcasting scenario, the role of the public service broadcaster and the role of the Broadcasting Authority in achieving impartiality on the television broadcasting media.

Starting his career in the public service as an Executive Office, he was seconded with the Broadcasting Authority in 1987 where he was them promoted to Head of the Monitoring Department. He has continued his studies at the University of Malta where in 2006 he graduated from the Faculty of Laws, from the Ecclesiastical Tribunal and has attended various courses on Journalism and Management. In 1996, he acted as Secretary for the publication “Malta Human Development Report” under the auspices of the UNDP. He was also involved in various other organisations on a Parochial and Diocesan level where he was a member for the Forum tal-Għaqdiet u Movimenti Ekklesjastiċi as well as acting as representative at the Diocesan Representative Council. He is involved in the Fokolari Movement and in the Cana Movement. He was also actively involved in Maltese Emigrants and Refugees Commission as well as in rehabilitation programmes for drug addicts within the Caritas Movement.

Mr Gordon Vassallo, F.I.A., C.P.A. - Financial Controller

Mr Vassallo started his career in 1976 with the Central Bank of Malta within the Research, Banking and Finance Sections. In 1981 he moved to a big firm of Certified Public Accountants and Auditors which has since then merged with Ernst and Young. In 1982 he was awarded the status of a Member of the Institute of Accountants (MIA) having followed a 5 year degree programme. In 1984 he was awarded the Warrant of Certified Public Accountant and Auditor (CPAA) after having performed senior audit assignments with a diverse portfolio of both private and public organisations. In July 1987, he was further awarded the Fellowship of the Malta Institute of Accountants (FIA) In 1994 he joined the Water Services Corporation as Chief Accountant and a year later joined the Malta Broadcasting Authority as Financial Controller. Mr Vassallo also holds a Diploma in Psychology from the European Institute of Education, is certified in Journalism from the Manchester College Bureau and is also certified in Ignatian Spirtuality and Spiritual Guidance from the Centre of Ignatian Spirituality run by the Jesuits in Malta. Mr Vassallo is a regular contributor to various local magazines on socio/spirituality issues and ethics within the financial sphere. In 2015 he was also selected as a Mentor through the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality under the European Social Fund programme.

Mr Randolph Micallef – Head Monitoring Department

After being awarded a B.(Hons) Degree in European Studies by the University of Malta, Mr Randolph Micallef started his career with the Authority in 2007. Since then, he occupied various roles within the monitoring department and in 2018 he was promoted to Head of Monitoring. As a team member, he has performed and worked in various roles ranging from the production of political broadcasts during electoral campaigns to international networking in broadcasting fora and European media groups.

Mr Randolph Micallef has a passion for Maltese, in which he was awarded a Proof Reading Certificate in 2010 as well as for mechanical engineering, in which he holds a ceritificate in General Engineering (Machine Tools) in 2015. He is also a sports fan and when not in office he tries to dedicate some of his spare time playing football with friends.

Following a Diploma in Business Management, Mr Axiak started his working career with the Malta Development Corporation. Two years later, he continued his studies at the University of Malta where in 1983 he was conferred an honours degree in Business Management; during which time he was posted by the Malta Development Corporation at various parastatal industries. In 1999, he joined the Broadcasting Authority as Head of Research and Communications. He was involved in many projects undertaken by the Broadcasting Authority including public seminars; training workshops for broadcasters both locally and at RTÈ, the Irish Public Service Broadcaster; executive producer of the Broadcasting Authority’s Annual Programme Awards, 1999-2003; as well as in various publications of the Broadcasting Authority. Mr Axiak has furthered his studies obtaining a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Maastricht in April 2007.